1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for transporting a recording medium in an apparatus for recording a predetermined image on the recording medium while transporting the recording medium.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, there is known an image recording apparatus in which, while a transport means including rollers, a belt and the like is used to transport a recording medium such as printing paper and the like, ink is ejected from a multiplicity of inkjet nozzles arranged in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording medium onto the recording medium being transported, to thereby record an image on the recording medium. Such an image recording apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2-80269 (1990), 2-187355 (1990), 4-219264 (1992), 2005-131929, and 2004-314605.
The image recording apparatus as disclosed in the above-mentioned cited references is capable of doing a large amount of printing at a high speed, but presents a problem in finding difficulties in recording an image with high accuracy on a recording medium because of vibrations created by the rollers, the belt and the like when in operation.
To solve the problem, another image recording apparatus has been proposed. While transporting a recording medium principally using a transport means including rollers, a belt and the like, this image recording apparatus records an image on the recording medium after the transport of the recording medium is changed from the transport using the transport means including the rollers, the belt and the like to the transport using a plurality of linear motor mechanisms capable of more accurate transport than using the rollers, the belt and the like at least during image recording. Such an image recording apparatus is capable of doing a large amount of printing at a high speed with high accuracy.
However, the image recording apparatus which uses the plurality of linear motor mechanisms to transport the recording medium presents a problem such that, if any one of the linear motor mechanisms malfunctions, the printing process is suspended or there arises a need to transport the recording medium by using the transport means including the rollers, the belt and the like, rather than the linear motor mechanisms, during the image recording.